As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I would have a second post with the natural light shots. This helps to show the difference. Now you are going to ask, which do I prefer? I love both and both are very different. I love the simplicity that studio lighting shots offer – I like that they are clean and simple. I like that studio lighting stops the action of little ones. I was always a lover of fashion photography – growing up I had magazine ads posted all over my walls. There is something about a crisp clean catch light that gets me;)

However in the natural light shots, you will get a narrow depth of field (because I tend to shoot wide open – with a small f-stop for those that came last week) thus allowing you to tell a story about what you are focusing on, you can get some awesome shadows that again allow you to focus on the portion of the picture that is lit and you can also show some motion (when appropriate).

Time permitting, I will typically do a combination of both in a session.

I am just beginning the second Watch Me Grow package with this family’s maternity session. They have been featured on my blog many times and are presented on a few pieces of art in the studio. Their love for each other shines through in every photo and I LOVE working with them. I am so excited to see Miss L as a big sister and just as dad is…I am very excited to see the tattoo that will come with the new little one! I am going to post more from this session because we did some studio lighting ones and natural light. Natural light ones will be posted tomorrow…I thought it might be overwhelming all in one post and I am still working through them;)

As many of you know Cherry Four, a children’s boutique in Calgary, is a commercial client of mine. After many years in Inglewood, Cherry Four is moving to the very trendy main road in Kensington. On Friday I dropped off the display piece (shown below) for the front window and was already so impressed with the new space. With this move Cherry Four is seeing a bit of a rebrand with a new logo and an updated look to the space. There is no doubt that Fev’s attention to detail, unique, top quality products and AMAZING customer service will still continue to make Cherry Four one of Calgary’s top children’s boutiques. The exact address is 1111 Kensington Road NW – only a couple doors down from Crave Cupcakes so go have a little look around and then grab a snack;)

Fev and I are planning a few things over the rest of the year so stay tuned!

I received a handout at my Fitmom class yesterday titled “Motherhood inspires personal growth” by Andrea Page (the founder of Fitmom). Andrea speaks of her story of motherhood and the success of her business, some of which I could relate to. She then goes on to speak about things that she has learned through motherhood and I could relate to lots of it and thought that I would share.

1. We have not been groomed for motherhood. What I mean by this is that unlike other cultures where getting ready for mothering is the focus of a young woman’s upbringing, our culture aims to get us ready for “success”. So I know that I am not alone when I say that I have found becoming a mom is something that I am still learning. The most important lesson of all is that I MUST let some stuff go, I will not be perfect. I also have no desire to prove anything to others. I actually find strength through humility and find my close mommy friends appreciate my honesty about imperfection.

2. Having a child means double duty on all fronts. In mothering you will be conjuring up at least double the energy expended in a day to meet the needs of both you and the child. In addition, your will be facing double the expenses and often half the income. My advice is keep it simple; take really good care of yourself in terms of fitness and nutrition. Use your time as a mom as a reminder that daily personal reflection will help you focus on your personal values and try not to get drawn into the competitiveness our society perpetuates.

3. It’s okay to screw up. Social pressures that define the perfect mother/career woman set us up to constantly be dropping the ball, so to speak. Learn to laugh at this because unless you have a caregiver for each child and a personal assistant you will come up short a lot. Before becoming a mom I was able to control most of my life. Learning that I can’t control a lot of things with my kids has helped me grow immensely as a person.

4. Motherhood changes your life. Although this one is straight forward, I have never seen more blood sweat and tears from the women I know once they become moms. I have seen young teen moms turn their lives around, career women reinvent themselves, women build businesses, grow change and evolve in miraculous ways. Motherhood is a bumpy road of self-discovery I am very blessed to be on.

5. Motherhood Can Change the World I believe that mothers are meant to change the world because their investment in the world around them is driven by a deepened awareness. Once you experience the successes and failures of mothering your own child, the pain of mothers around the world has new meaning. Mothering has taught me that I have the power to make change in myself and in the world around me!!

These are all points that I think about and work on everyday and I know I am not alone. It is always nice to be reminded though…ease some motherly guilt.

This weekend is both difficult and awesome for me having lost my own mother (the person that I looked to to teach me how to be a better mother) but then awesome in that I am a mother with two AMAZING children who continue to teach (challenge) me. I love to learn and be challenged and will continue to grow and develop with my children!

I just wanted to mention that I have added an online booking form to the main website – you can click HERE to see. The form should help improve the booking process and alleviate some of the back and forth emails as I know you are busy enough already. There will continue to be a few more changes over the next little while as I continue to streamline everything to make it more efficient for everyone.

And since I need a picture…here is a quick picture of my daughter and I from last week. I wish I had the focus on the other side;) I stink at self-portraits (well, and being in front of the camera at all).